Cindi, gorgeous borage photos. It wasn't until last year I could grow it, for some reason it never did well here, but finally for whatever reason I had wonderful plants for the girls. I've purchased more seeds, in case they don't self-sow. I'm (again) jealous of your season. We're still frozen here (I should say we are finally frozen here after the wacky January we had), nothing is coming up yet, other than the shivering little snowdrops that came up a month and a half ago and realized their mistake - too late!

I do have all of my seed orders here now, from Johnny's, Cooks Garden and Pinetree Garden seeds. Just a few stragglers to get from Nichols and Burpee, then it's time to start them. I've got growlights downstairs and am planning on starting cabbages, brocolli and brussel sprouts soon. I'm going to grow one tomato from Johnny's, called Tomatoberry, it looks good. I haven't had time to grow seeds for years, we'll see how things go. I really need a cold frame.....

Ann, right on!!! Go, girl, go!!! I can't wait to get my seeds started too, get that spring fever for sure.

You will have borage coming up everywhere, I can rest you assured of that. Borage can be an invasive plant by the way it self-seeds. If the seed freezes outside on the ground, it does not care. That is natural way of propogation, the cold and then the warmth that sets the seed growth on fire. You will see. this year save your own borage seed. It is easy to do and you will have so many you won't even know what to do with them. I can give you some helpful hints in the summertime when the seed needs to be harvested, if you will only ask me. I love to impart information that I have acquired over my lifetime, so much through trial and error.

It is good that you bought some seed, just in case. That will set your mind to rest, knowing that you have it on hand for sure. I have sent my last seed order into Stokes for processing. I get a pretty nice discount as a reslt of the large amounts of seeds that I used to purchase from them for so many years when I ran my nursery. I still order a substantial amount, combining my two sisters and cousins, the order is lengthy.

I do wonder too why your borage didn't do so well some year and the next very nicely? I know borage loves full sun, will do pretty good in shade, loves to have a good watering now and then. If you water deeply and infrequently, the plant's roots search for water and they become very strong, and can search for water when times are lean. But you probably know that though.

I believe that is why my beets and carrots did so well this year. I was rather lazy about watering them and they set big roots looking for water. My sister would water them cause she couldn't stand them any long without water, and then they would grow a whole bunch more, even stronger because they set deep roots looking for water and then relished in the deep water that she would give them. And it carried on this way. It was interesting. I haven't seen beets or carrots grow this well in my gardens yet. Think this was the way to grow them (and turkey manure and compost).

Gonna have a busy week, won't be here much off to the bee course until Friday. Greatest of the days. Cindi

Logged

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

Sometimes the microclimate just isn't right, for whatever reason, for one particular plant. I have johnny jump-ups all over the place, they're gorgeous, but some would consider them weeds. I've never had a problem with them, I move around the pretty ones and toss the rest. My neighbor two doors down couldn't grow them to save her life - and she's an award-winning rhododendron gardener (actually hubby has the rhodies, she's just a worker, the rest of the gardens are hers, though!). She's just in the past two years had a few reseed, she thinks it's because I'm sending them over with lots of soil and my soil has changed the bed somewhat. Who knows? All I know is my mother is an herbalist, she's got borage coming back every year, and she's given me babies for years and years, for whatever reason now they'll grow here. Well, they grew last summer. Let's see how they do this summer!

Zinnias are what I'm going to concentrate on this summer, seeing what varieties the bees really like. I've got three different varieties. I'll do another sunflower bed and ring it with them. I also bought some honeybee blue hyssop, I've got anise hyssop already, that's seeded itself in nicely, this will be a nice addition.